Cold Feet
by redrider6612
Summary: Brennan in a wedding dress? But will she actually go thru with it?
1. Chapter 1

COLD FEET

Temperance Brennan paused just inside the doorway to the sanctuary as the strains of the wedding march began. Every face in the room was turned her way, and her stomach began to tremble. What would Ange call it? Butterflies in the stomach. She wondered inanely what the origins of the saying were. I'll google it later, she decided, dragging her attention back to the situation at hand. People were starting to fidget and she reminded herself that they were waiting for her to begin. Taking a deep breath, she took the first tentative, measured step, then forced herself to take another. Focusing her gaze on the altar at the front, which seemed to be miles away, she continued, having no trouble keeping the pace slow. In fact, she found she had to keep reminding herself to take another step when she really wanted to turn and run.

People were smiling and murmuring as she passed, whispering about how lovely she looked, what a lucky woman she was. Brennan wondered. Was she lucky? I mean, sure, he's handsome, confident, a strong alpha male who would make a good partner to any woman fortunate enough to catch his attention. Her stomach trembled again. But marry him? She'd never thought she'd marry anyone. She'd seen too many miserable couples struggling to maintain their marriages, had seen the heartbreak and pain caused by their failures. Her steps faltered and her gaze fell on Angela.

Her friend was smiling at her from her position to the left of the altar. Brennan was startled to find that she was already halfway there. Her eyes pleaded and Angela's smile faded away as she realized the internal struggle taking place inside her friend. 'You love him,' Angela mouthed silently. At that Brennan looked to the man standing at the altar. His warm brown eyes beckoned and his smile drew her forward. Yes, she loved him, but not enough, she feared. There was always a corner of her heart, a little piece that she had locked away when she agreed to marry him, that yearned for another strong alpha male with warm brown eyes. He had found something else to do instead of witnessing the most amazing event of her life. She wondered what he was doing, if he was thinking about her. Don't be silly, Brennan, she scolded herself. He obviously doesn't care. If he did, he would have stopped this. Her heart squeezed as she admitted how badly she had wanted him to.

And now she had finally arrived and stood next to her groom. His smile was huge and she tried to smile back, failing miserably. The priest began, oblivious to the bride's internal struggle. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses, to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony…"

"I object," she said, the words slipping out of their own accord. The priest stopped, confused, his eyes darting from her to the groom and back again.

"I haven't come to that part," the priest murmured, smiling a little, wondering if this was some kind of joke. The bride had tears in her eyes and the groom's smile had fled as he stared at her with his mouth open.

Turning to face Sully, she struggled to control the sobs that were crawling up her throat. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her heart breaking at the look on his face. "I-I can't marry you," she finished. Dropping her bouquet, she picked up her skirts and ran back down the aisle. Angela grabbed Sully's arm as he moved to go after her.

"Wait, let me. Just—stall, okay? I'll go talk to her." He looked at her gratefully. If anyone could talk some sense into Tempe, it would be Angela.


	2. Chapter 2

COLD FEET part 2

She only got as far as the small anteroom where she and Angela had gotten ready. Too agitated to sit, she paced the confines of the room, tears pouring down her cheeks. Her makeup was a mess and she knew without looking in the mirror that her face was splotchy and her eyes were red, but it didn't matter. She wasn't getting married today.

There was a soft knock and the door opened just enough for Angela to slip in. She locked the door and stood with her arms folded and an expectant air. Brennan blew her nose and wiped her eyes, trying to buy a little time. And still Angela waited.

"I can't marry him, Ange. I know people are going to think I'm being selfish and mean, but for Sully's sake, I can't," she said, sobs threatening again.

Angela looked a little puzzled. "Sweetie, how is this good for Sully? I mean, did you see his face? Poor guy."

Brennan grabbed another tissue. "Because I don't love him like—never mind. He would know eventually that my heart isn't completely his and he would come to resent it. He's a great guy and he deserves someone who isn't going to wish she'd married the other guy."

Angela suspected a certain hunky FBI agent was the cause of Brennan's crisis, but firmly pushed down the excitement the realization brought. Just wait, Ange, this is Brennan. She still hasn't admitted it. First get her to deal with the situation here.

"Sweetie, I think you owe Sully an explanation, face to face." Brennan started to argue, but Angela grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Listen to me. If you can look him in the eye and tell him you don't love him and you don't want to marry him, I'll stand by your decision. Can I bring him in here so you can talk?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Angela was right. Telling him face to face was the decent thing to do. Angela unlocked the door and slipped out.

Too soon, the door opened a bit hesitantly and Sully's head popped in. "Is it safe to come in?" he joked, eliciting a weak smile from Brennan. He closed the door behind him and put his hands in his pockets, looking around the room. "Hey, this is nicer than the room they gave us," he said with a half smile. He finally took a good look at her face and the smile died. "Tempe, what did I do?" he asked somewhat plaintively. He looked like a little boy who didn't understand why he was being put in the corner.

Brennan took a shuddering breath. "It's not you, please, don't ever think you did anything to deserve—" another tear slid down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Sully. I should have never agreed to marry you. I just can't—"

He took a step toward her and she flinched. "Do you want to reschedule? 'Cuz I understand this is a huge step for you—hell, I was amazed you said yes in the first place."

She wiped at her nose and shook her head. "This isn't like a dental appointment that you can just postpone until next week. It wouldn't help. Sully, I can't marry you because I—I love someone else." The pain in his face was unbearable to watch and she looked away to stare blindly at a picture of the Virgin Mary. "You and I could never be happy together, not with that hanging between us."

"Who?" he asked quietly, afraid he already knew the answer. But Temperance wasn't ready to say it out loud, to admit she loved Booth.

Brennan stubbornly shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I just know it isn't you," she finished softly, her eyes begging forgiveness. The tears in his eyes told her he understood, they also told her she was breaking his heart.

Blinking furiously, trying to put a brave face on, he tried to smile and failed. "You're sure?" he asked, giving her one last chance to undo the damage. Her face was tragic as she nodded and he gave a heavy sigh of sadness. It was clear she'd made up her mind. He stepped up close to her and reached out to stroke her cheek tenderly. "You know where I'll be if you change your mind." He kissed her gently, looking at her one last time as though committing her face to memory. "Goodbye, Tempe. I love you." And then he was gone and she collapsed on a chair, sobs racking her body.


	3. Chapter 3

COLD FEET part 3

Brennan burst into Wong Foo's and stopped, looking around for Booth. She saw a suit jacket draped on one of the stools and half a drink on the bar. Sid came out of the back. Whistling softly, impressed with her attire, Sid smiled.

"Bone Lady, you don't have to dress up to come here. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you didn't make it a habit. Might scare off the clientele if they think we've upgraded the dress code," he teased with a grin. He took a closer look at her face and dropped the banter. "If you're lookin' for Booth, he'll be right back. He just went to the men's room."

Just then Booth came around the corner and stopped short, staring at her in shock. "Bones! W-what are you doing here? I thought you'd be married by now."

Now that she was here and he was here, she was at a loss how to proceed. All the way over she had just felt an overwhelming urgency to find him right away so she could tell him—and that was as far as the plan went. Sid made himself scarce, and since it was early afternoon, they had the place to themselves.

Booth looked her up and down. "You look beautiful, even better than I had imagined," he told her. She was staring at him, apparently unable to form a coherent sentence. He noticed the redness around her eyes and the absence of makeup, sure signs she had been crying. He stepped closer to her, concerned. "Bones? Are you okay? Where's Sully?"

She took a wavery breath. "I don't know. I—I couldn't marry him," she confessed. "I took a cab. Can you take me home?"

Booth frowned, confused. "Why didn't you have the cab take you home? Wait—did you say you couldn't marry Sully?" he asked when her words finally registered.

Brennan shook her head, thought about his question again and nodded. "I—had to see you. Please, can't we just go? I want to get out of this ridiculous dress."

Still a little unclear as to what was going on, Booth grabbed his suit jacket, threw some money on the bar and called out a farewell to Sid. It took some doing to get her and her ridiculous dress crammed into the passenger seat of his SUV, but they were finally on their way.

Booth kept darting sidelong glances at her. She sat calmly, watching the passing scenery, her clasped hands the only sign that she was agitated. He began to wish he'd just called her another cab. He didn't know if he was ready for whatever was coming.

It was easier getting her out of the SUV and soon he was seated in her living room, waiting for her to change. In a minute she was back in the doorway, still in the wedding dress.

"Would you please unfasten these hooks? There are about thirty of them up the back. It took Angela a long time to fasten them this morning." She tried to keep her tone matter of fact to mask her awkwardness.

Booth got up and went over to her. She lifted her hair and turned her back to him. She had managed to undo the top five and Booth started working his way down, breathing in the light floral scent she wore. By the time he got to the small of her back, he was having a hard time keeping his mind on his task as the creamy skin of her back begged him to touch it. "There you go, all done," he said, stifling a sigh of relief as he unfastened the last hook. He stepped back and put his hands in his pockets.

Holding the front against herself, she smiled over her shoulder. "Thank you. I'll be out in a minute."

That smile stayed with him the whole time he waited. In no time at all, she was back, dressed in an old pair of jeans and a tank top, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. "How about some iced tea?" she offered. Now that the time to tell him had come, she kept trying to think of ways to delay it. He smiled and accepted, but too soon they were seated on the couch with their tea and an awkward silence fell.

"Bones, c'mon, tell me why you couldn't marry Sully. He's a great guy and I thought you loved him," Booth said.

Brennan looked him in the eye. "Because I love someone else more," she said.

Booth frowned, trying to remember the other guys she had been dating. As far as he knew, Sully was the only one for the past 6 months.

Brennan rolled her eyes. For someone known for his perceptiveness, he was being awfully dense. It would be funny if she weren't so nervous. "You, Booth. I'm in love with _you_," she said softly, and his eyes locked with hers, shock warring with hope. Shock won for the time being.

"You what? Me?" At her serious nod, he sprang to his feet. "Are you saying you left Sully at the altar because you think you're in love with _me_?" She continued to stare at him and he turned to walk to the far end of the room. She waited as patiently as she could for him to come back. When he did, he sat next to her on the couch.

"Listen, Bones, remember at the park that day, the talk we had about crossing the line?" She nodded, afraid of the direction the conversation was taking. "I haven't changed my mind. I still think it's a bad idea for people in our line of work to become romantically involved. It's too dangerous. It clouds the judgment."

Brennan frowned and tried to understand. "So, the times I've been shot at, kidnapped and almost blown up, those weren't dangerous?"

Booth sighed, frustrated that she was making this so hard. "Yes, but imagine how much more dangerous it could be if we were involved," he said patiently.

"I don't think it gets any more dangerous than that," she insisted calmly. "As for clouding the judgment, is there anything you wouldn't do to save my life if I were in danger?"

"Of course not, you know that. I would die to protect you—" he broke off as he realized she had just reasoned him into a corner. He looked over and caught her smiling a little, the first smile he'd seen since she'd come into Wong Foo's. He couldn't stop his own smile in return. "Okay, smarty-pants, I see your point. So, what now?"

Brennan smiled slyly. "You still haven't told me you love me," she reminded him.

His smile faded as he looked deep into her eyes. "I do" he admitted finally, unconsciously saying the vow she had almost said to another man.

Happiness flooded her like never before. "That's a start," she said, her eyes dropping to his lips. He leaned forward to close the gap between them. Lips meeting at last, tentatively at first, then more surely as their passion rose, he put his arms around her to draw her close, leaning back on the couch. They lay that way for hours, sometimes talking in low voices, sometimes kissing and caressing, forming a bond that was somehow stronger than the partnership they'd had before. It was a start.


End file.
